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Voice AI Agent routes inbound calls to the right language, department or team by detecting what the caller needs during a live conversation. Configure call instructions that transfer the call conditionally — by spoken language, requested department or stated reason for calling — instead of building a dedicated IVR menu. Callers get a guided experience without pressing keys or waiting on a menu.
Before you begin
Enable the Handle calls action on your AI Agent. See AI Agent Action: Handle Calls for setup.
Connect a Channel that supports calling — WhatsApp or Telnyx VoIP. See Calls to enable calling for a Channel.
Set up the teams or agents each routing path transfers to (for example, Sales, Billing, Support).
How to route calls by language
Voice AI Agent detects the caller's spoken language automatically and switches to it, provided the language is one of the 32 supported by the platform. Call instructions only need to define what happens after the language is set — not the detection itself.
Go to your AI Agent's Configuration page > Actions > Handle calls.
Turn on the Handle calls toggle.
Add an instruction naming the outcome for each language, for example:
If the caller requests a human agent and is speaking Spanish, transfer to the Spanish Support team.
If the caller requests a human agent and is speaking English, transfer to the English Support team.Note: The instructions above only need to define who to transfer to. Voice AI Agent already detects and switches the caller's language automatically mid-call — you don't need to instruct it to do that.
How to route calls by department or intent
Define when to transfer and who to transfer to, the same way as any other call transfer. See Transferring calls to a human agent for the full Scenario A/B setup, including how to use the Assign to agent or team action when the target agent has Contact restrictions.
Open your AI Agent's Configuration page > Actions > Handle calls.
Add a department or intent condition to the Handle calls instruction field for each team, for example:
Add the Assign to agent or team action if a target team has Contact restrictions, and define who to assign to there instead of in the call instruction.
Click Test AI Agent and use the phone icon to confirm each routing condition transfers correctly.
Publish the AI Agent once test calls route as expected.
# CALL CONTEXT
You are handling an inbound call for a business with Sales, Billing and Support departments.
# AGENT ROLE
Greet the caller and identify what they need before transferring.
# WHAT YOU MUST DO
- Ask what the caller needs help with if it isn't clear from their first message.
- If the caller mentions a purchase, pricing or product question, transfer to the Sales team.
- If the caller mentions an invoice, payment or refund, transfer to the Billing team.
- If the caller mentions a delivery issue, account problem or general question, transfer to the Support team.
# WHAT YOU MUST NOT DO
- Do not ask the caller to press a number or use their keypad.
- Do not transfer before identifying which department the caller needs.Tip: Combine language, department and intent conditions in the same instruction to cover multilingual routing and department routing together.
What's not supported
Keypad-based (DTMF) IVR — callers cannot navigate a menu by pressing keys. Routing happens through spoken conversation only.
Call queuing — calls cannot be held in a queue, given a queue position or hold music, or reported on for wait time. Each call transfers immediately based on the AI Agent's instructions.
For other call handling limitations, such as transfer types, call duration and human takeover, see Limitations in the Handle calls article.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Can callers press a number on their phone to choose a department?
No. Voice AI Agent routes calls through natural conversation, not keypad input. Keypad-based IVR is not supported.
Does respond.io support call queuing?
No. Calls aren't held in a queue or given a queue position. Each call transfers immediately based on the call instructions.
What happens if the caller's request doesn't match any routing condition?
The AI Agent continues the conversation using its general instructions and transfers only when a defined condition is met. Add a fallback instruction, such as transferring to a default team, to avoid calls with no clear match.
Can the AI Agent route calls in multiple languages at once?
Yes. It detects the caller's spoken language automatically and applies the same department or intent routing regardless of language, provided the language is one of the 32 supported.
